Republic of China

Chapter 121 Walking, Walking
first month.

It's still so cold outside the customs.

But on the main roads connecting various towns, there are many more pedestrian photos than in the twelfth lunar month.

Some came back home because the war was over, some wanted to seize the new year's market faster than their peers, and some came to visit relatives and friends for New Year's greetings. After all, the cold weather can hardly suppress the hot hearts of outsiders.

As a car drove slowly forward on the snow-covered official road, it was no surprise that it attracted many stares.

These days, those who can drive it must be rich or wealthy, and they must be extremely wealthy.

However, the person in the car didn't seem to have anything to do with wealth, and the relationship didn't seem to be very good.

The young man driving the car patted the steering wheel and gritted his teeth, "Lao Kang, are you crazy? I'm not surprised if you break anything. But you broke the window, and the cold wind blew into the car. I'm sorry. What’s the point of a car?”

"It's not my fault. Who knew the car window handle was so frozen? I swear it broke just when I opened it lightly."

"What the hell! If you hadn't bleed onto the rocker when you were sleeping with your head against the car window, how could it have been frozen? Fortunately, Lao Liu was at home with his wife and children this time, otherwise the other ear would have been deafened by the cold. .”

"I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense. I never urinate when I sleep. I just like to fart. How about we turn on a stove in the car?"

Zhao Sanyuan was furious.

But no matter how angry he was, he was extinguished by the cold wind that poured into the car. He could only hold the steering wheel tremblingly and push the dog-skin cotton hat on his head as low as possible.

He was even less in the mood to retort.

Because of frozen teeth!

Perhaps God couldn't bear to see it, but after driving for a short distance, we were about to reach Liaoyang County, the first stop in Fengtian.

Zhao Sanyuan immediately decided to go to the county town to find out if there was anyone who could repair cars. If he couldn't find any, he bought a quilt and put it on the passenger window.

Speaking of Liaoyang County, the history of city building is very early. There were already tribes of sufficient scale in the Xia and Shang Dynasties. It was not until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period that King Yan Zhao took land [-] miles eastward and established Liaodong County. The seat of government was Xiangping City, which is now Liaoyang. county.

Because the city was built early enough, Liaoyang County is relatively prosperous, and there are many shops of all kinds.

But the field of auto repair is still in a vacuum.

Zhao Sanyuan walked around the city several times. The gas tank was almost empty and he couldn't find any shop that could repair cars. At most, he found two companies that repaired tires and repaired bicycles. These are high-level technical jobs in Liaoyang County.

Tired, hungry, and his teeth were fucking frozen, Zhao Sanyuan simply stopped his car and parked the car in front of the small building of the county office.

The two soldiers standing guard at the door thought the leader was coming from somewhere, so they hurriedly ran a few steps to the car door, gave a military salute, and shook off their caps.

That's how the world works.

Laughing at the poor but not at prostitution, looking down upon others, it doesn’t matter what your abilities are, what matters is what you wear, use and drive.

Even if it is a dog, it is the leader's dog.

"Good leadership!"

Kang Muang handed the documents prepared in advance to the soldiers and said politely: "We are affiliated to the Feng Provincial Construction Department and have been ordered to travel from Taoguantun, Anshan to Fengtian City. This is the order, and it has the deputy seal of the Seventh District Office of Anshan."

The shadow of the tree of names.

Liaoyang is not far from Anshan Village, and everyone who eats public food knows that Fo Ding Zhu in District [-] has become more and more famous recently, and it is likely to be promoted.

Moreover, the two soldiers knew by looking at the license plate that it was Fo Ding Zhu's Ford sedan. There was only one comparable car in Liaoyang County, so they did not dare to neglect it.

"May I ask the leader why you came to the office? Which supervisor do you want to meet? You can go and report now!"

Zhao Sanyuan pulled back Kang Muang, who still wanted to be polite, and got straight to the point, "Don't ask about social affairs. How long will it take to find someone to repair the car window?"

Not to mention, the two soldiers were very domineering, so they probably felt more at ease facing such a leader.

"There is someone in the office who can repair cars, but he has gone to Dahu Mountain, don't worry! I will inform the superiors to send a telegram to Dahu Mountain to ask him to come back quickly. I also ask the leaders to move on. I'm humble—"

Zhao Sanyuan waved his hand, "If you don't stay at the office, after the car is repaired, drive it outside the largest inn in the county. You are not allowed to touch the things in the car. Remember, the sooner the better. Use these to drink."

After saying that, he took out seven or eight yuan and put it in the pocket of a soldier, and then walked towards the street. Lao Kang followed behind and bared his teeth in distress.

Seven or eight dollars.

How many pots of chicken stewed with mushrooms are enough to eat?

"Isn't it too generous? Just give me two yuan."

"Nothing comes with money, and I finally discovered that we are not destined to have money."

The hundreds of dollars that Lao Li gave me back then were all used to open a teahouse.

After that, there was no money left from the old Zheng family, so they had someone make a bronze bull statue for them.

Furthermore, not even half of the reward given by Shangguan Baitu was left behind. It was all taken away by the old caretaker lady of Yaowang Valley. This money was not wasted. Lao Kang got the ancient book Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate, which was absolutely worth it. It is a priceless treasure.

As for the money earned in the teahouse and the money earned from attending work, the money earned is not much, and the real price is close to the people. However, the three brothers usually either take medicine to treat illnesses or purchase goods. They are not as wealthy as the outside world imagines. At most, they have enough money to eat and drink.

Sometimes Zhao Sanyuan always wonders, is it the financial test for the brothers?

He is simply a passing god of wealth. If you have money, you must encounter something.

If that's the case, it's just a waste of money and it's all over!

The first lunar month has not yet come out, and the streets and lanes of Liaoyang still have a strong New Year flavor.

A popular roadside stall has a signboard that reads "Lao Ma's Fire-roasted Mutton Soup", and other scenes of people eating at roadside stalls despite the cold wind can be seen everywhere.

Since Zhao Sanyuan visited the underworld, compared to the seven dishes and eight bowls in a big restaurant, he prefers this kind of fireworks and feels more like he is in the human world.

As for the taste, it is indeed good.

But while they were eating, their attention was attracted by a monk sitting on the dirt steps across the street.

He was in his 20s, wearing shabby earth-colored monk robes, squatting on the earthen steps with a paper merit box in his hand, with a reserved and nervous expression. He wanted to say something to the passers-by many times, but his last words It reached my mouth and I swallowed it.

"It seems like you are begging for alms, right?" Kang Muang was very interested.

Zhao Sanyuan nodded, "Well, it seems that he doesn't have much experience, but logically speaking, the temple is very popular in the first month of the year. Could it be that he is a fake monk? Lao Kang, do you see any clues?"

"The ring scar on the top of his head is very formal. It doesn't look like it was done randomly. Judging from his clothes, he must have not had much incense in the temple. He only wore single clothes and thin cloth shoes in the winter."

"It would be quite miserable if this is the case. Boss! Two more bowls of mutton soup and four fires, and add more pepper and chili noodles!"

While they were cooking, the two of them kept watching the poor monk.

Perhaps it is inappropriate to use 'poor' as a prefix for a monk, but there is no way. The simplest adjective in this world is not good or evil or beautiful or ugly, but rich and poor.

Poverty is a disease that can kill you.

From early morning to noon, some people threw some big money to the poor monk, and some asked the poor monk why he didn't guard the merit box in the temple.

The reason is that the poor monk lives in a remote small temple. For about 200 years, there has been very little incense. Even the only Buddha statue in the temple has been weathered into disgrace. It is almost impossible to tell that it is a Buddha, just like a piece of clay sculpture.

What's even worse is that during a heavy snowfall two years ago, the beams of the small temple collapsed. Half of the temple was still intact, but the other half was in ruins. As a result, the poor incense was gone, and Liaoyang County was not only Who would go to a collapsed temple to worship?
Therefore, with no choice but to go to the streets to beg alms, the poor monk himself had no experience in alms, and he had not made any progress in almost a month.

It is said to be alms, but in fact it is more like waiting for alms. When beggars see the money, they will say "Happy New Year to my brother and sister-in-law" and then kowtow. The poor monks will just wait without showing off their talents.

Fortunately, in the first month of the year, people all wanted to have good luck, and in just half a day, there was a lot of harvest in the merit box.

"Master, how much do you want to pay? Our sisters will help you get it together."

"I heard that for building statues in temples, the name of the donor who gave the money can be written on the merit monument, right? Master, can you tell me, is there such a thing as a merit monument?"

Two young women with heavy makeup squatted in front of the poor monk. They were still wearing cotton cheongsams with extremely high slits in the winter. Anyone who was a normal person would know that the two women were not in a serious business. They were either kiln sisters or kiln sisters who worked alone. .

The poor monk hesitated for a long time without saying a word.

But there was a bit of resistance in his evasive eyes.

The meaning is self-evident, even if money is needed to repair the dilapidated temple, he does not want to use the dirty money.

The older woman saw some signs. She was very embarrassed, and she didn't take out the hand holding the banknote in her arms.

On the other hand, the younger woman was a little naive, and asked stupidly, "Master, can you give me a message? Can our names be included in the merit monument?"

Some pedestrians passing by gave me various looks, most of which were ridiculing and ridiculing.In broad daylight, the monk and the kiln sister were mixed together, which was really novel.

The older woman became more and more embarrassed and gently pulled her sister, "Let's go."

"Why are you leaving? Sister, didn't you tell us to accumulate some virtue for us?"

"It doesn't have to be this way to accumulate virtue. Let's talk about it when we have the opportunity."

"What are you waiting for when you have a ready-made master in front of you? We should be able to get more than 100 yuan together, and we will definitely be on the merit monument."

"Sister, why don't you understand?"

I really don't understand.

My sister thought about it but couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Isn’t it normal to accumulate some merit?

Or does it take a long, long time to build a merit monument?

"Master, I only have these, so don't be too little. My sister and I have seen you begging here since the twelfth lunar month. It's so cold that not many people care about you. You can't even get on the merit monument." If you want, you should first buy a cotton-padded coat and a pair of cotton-padded shoes. If you freeze, what will happen to you? How can you save all sentient beings if you freeze?"

After that, my sister stuffed the small amount of tickets she had prepared into the merit box.

The elder sister didn't hesitate when she saw this. After stuffing the money she had prepared, she took her sister and disappeared on the street, as if to avoid those piercing eyes.

The poor monk almost couldn't help but wanted to stop them and ask for their names several times, but in the end he didn't ask them. After hesitating for a long time, he used small charcoal to write the words "two female donors" on the merit box without any names.

across the street.

Kang Muang suggested in a low voice: "Let's give some too, as if it's a good relationship."

"Don't give it all, just about the same." Zhao Sanyuan was worried that Kang Muang's good-natured nature would explode. This time he took more than 200 yuan and some banknotes when he went out. He couldn't put all his family wealth into it just to make a good relationship. Buddha saw that I have to shake my head.

Just as the two of them were paying and walking to the other side of the street, several patrolmen stood in front of the poor monk and surrounded him.

"where are you from?"

Facing the aggressive patrolmen, the poor monk looked even more nervous and cautious, and replied tremblingly: "Prince Hedong is from Laoquan Temple."

The leading patrol officer looked at the poor monk up and down, "Is there an ultimatum?"

"No."

"Who can prove that you are a monk?"

"The folks near Laoquan Temple can all testify that I am the only monk in the temple and they all recognize me."

Seeing that the poor monk didn't seem to be lying, the patrol leader's expression softened slightly, but he still did not leave. Instead, he winked at his subordinates.

Several patrol officers skillfully snatched the merit box and poured out the large amounts of money, oceans, banknotes, etc. inside and counted them.

"Captain, this monk really did a good job. Not counting the tickets, it cost 80 or [-] yuan!"

The poor monk subconsciously wanted to stop him, but he gave up the idea and allowed the patrolmen to take the alms money.

The patrol captain sneered: "You may not be a real monk even in a temple. Where did you become a monk?"

The poor monk lowered his head and replied: "Haicheng Dabei Temple"

The patrol captain asked again: "You come out to make money during the first lunar month. What are you going to do?"

Wen Shan's head dropped even lower, "The temple collapsed and I have no money to repair it, so I can only think of ways to beg the benefactors."

Seeing the poor monk's useless appearance, the patrol captain was unwilling to go any further and directly characterized the nature, "I believe you are a monk, but according to the regulations of our agency, you cannot ask for alms without paying the ultimatum. This is illegal money-making and stolen money." Seize them all and close the team!"

These patrols come and go as quickly as they come.

It was said to be a patrol, but the target was very clear. It was Monk Benqiong who came directly. After deducting the money, he returned to where it came from.

To say it wasn't patrolling, they were wearing government uniforms with five-color emblems on their hats. They were eating from government officials to ensure their safety.

The people who were watching were pointing and talking in low voices, and gradually dispersed after the patrol officers left.

The poor monk sat there, looking at the empty merit box. All his efforts in the ice and snow for more than half a month were in vain.

In the corner, Kang Muang grabbed Zhao Sanyuan's wrist very hard.

"My God, Lao Kang, why did you arrest me?"

"Well, I'm afraid you'll beat up those patrolmen just to stand up for the poor monk."

Zhao Sanyuan was so angry that he said, "I have nothing to do to make a fool of myself? What does it have to do with me if I'm not a relative? Besides, isn't that what this world is like? I'm not a living god who can help anyone."

They say the Republic of China is here, but there are bandits everywhere.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with that.

The only difference lies in how to grab it.

After being stunned for a long time, the poor monk walked forward with the merit box in his arms, walking slowly and aimlessly with his head lowered.

"Shall we help with three yuan? If I want to build a temple, 100 yuan will definitely be enough."

"You can give it, but at least you have to know whether it's true or false, right? Follow him to the temple first and have a look. If we are really at the end of our rope, we will help."

Anyway, I have to wait for the car to be repaired, so I have nothing to do, so I just take it for a walk.

The two brothers followed the poor monk, hanging from a distance.

When passing by a busy restaurant, the poor monk stopped and looked sideways. After seeing the hot food and the fragrant meat buns, he spared his head and continued to move forward without trying to enter the store to beg for alms.

When passing by the bustling theater, the poor monk stopped and looked around to see the rich people throwing away the fruits and cakes on the ground after eating a few mouthfuls. The poor monk just hesitated for a few steps when he saw a bunch of little beggars crawling around on the ground. Pick up something to eat.

After a long silence, the poor monk continued to move forward.

When passing by a stall selling cotton clothes, trousers, shoes and quilts, the poor monk looked at his unlined clothes and then at the thin cloth shoes that exposed half of his big toes. His feet were almost numb from the cold.

However, he was penniless. Apart from the merit box without a penny in his hand, he only had a handwritten copy of the Diamond Sutra and an old Bodhi string, which he must use for daily chanting.

After hesitating again for a long time, the poor monk seemed to have made a difficult decision and walked to the stall. He tremblingly held the handwritten Diamond Sutra and handed it to the stall owner, "Donor, can I exchange this for you for a pair of cotton shoes? The old ones." also--"

"Go, go, go! I don't believe in any gods or Buddhas. If you want food, go somewhere else. Don't delay my business!"

The poor monk was pushed so hard that half of his already tattered cloth shoes were torn, and half of his feet were exposed to the cold wind.

Reality is often colder than winter.

What you think is a treasure, whether it is a thing or a sentiment, is often worthless in the eyes of others. In the end, it is nothing more than wishful thinking to impress yourself.

The poor monk's head drooped lower.

He left the stall and continued walking forward.

The cold and hunger were no longer so strong, because the warmth and coldness of human relationships had a greater impact on the soul. He couldn't figure it out. Since he was a child, he had been chanting sutras day and night to pray for the world and pray for the Buddha's blessing. There was a time when the incense in the temple was a little better. , and always take out money to help the poor people passing by.

But why is the world outside the small temple like this?

It's like being in two completely different time and spaces, which is quite confusing.

I walked and got tired.

The poor monk found a corner and sat down.

But he didn't know that the place where he rested aimlessly was the busiest and busiest street in the county.

Opium dens, brothels, and gambling houses come one after another.

The poor monk was sitting outside the wall of a gambling house. After noon, more and more people came to the gambling house hoping to make a fortune.

Both regular customers and novices were interested in the poor monk outside. I don’t know who the wise man was. He took out a piece of ocean and threw it into the merit box. Then he squatted in front of the poor monk and said with a smile: "Master, please give me a gift." Let me figure out if I can post it today?"

　Sorry, brother, I took my mother for an MRI today. Before the results came out, I suddenly had a fever. I almost reached 39 degrees. I just finished the infusion. Fortunately, I had enough time to catch up with the update and did not interrupt it. It was a little late. I hope you will forgive me

　　
　
(End of this chapter)